Big Cat Updates
Jennifer Ruszczyk’s Coordinator Notes for 6/3/2018
Hot day today. We were a little short on volunteers but everyone stepped up to help out and we got a lot done.
Lots of tours today with happy guests. We got cleaning, feeding, enrichment, and specialty tour sign-offs done for both interns and volunteers. Rebecca made some cicles for the cats since it is getting hot. We had private tours that were led by our partners and the rest of the team stepped in and did enrichment and operant conditioning for the guests. They loved it, so did the cats.
The Holly’s got a platform built in Chaos’ cage. We have almost completed raking that cage as well. Chaos is in Cyrus suite of cages while he is away on FunCation. Steve fixed a few lockout doors that were reported as sticking. MC and Becky had a very successful med day and the cats enjoyed their treats. Rebecca and MC got Zeus to eat some breakfast too!
Great day today. Now it is time to go home and put my feet up!
~Jennifer
Devin Saari’s Coordinator Notes for 6/5/2018
Lots of volunteers today to get feeding and cleaning done. The cicle cats loved these treats today. Diablo’s cage was finished and now has access to both sides
The tent by the hospital recovery cage was taken down and moved to where we keep the hospital cages. A new big water bowl was added to Nabisco and Ms. Claws’ enclosure. Food prep was finished around lunchtime.
Interns and volunteers that needed sign-offs got them today. The trees by Aleesa’s house were watered. Finished the day with everyone going out to do enrichment that was not on tours.
Lauren Grant’s Coordinator Notes for 6/7/2018
Lots of help today!! We were able to clean Zeus’ enclosure, mow & weed-eat the FunCation and Vacation, clean up the back half of Tiger Lilly’s enclosure, clean up the back half of FunCation, and pull weeds and pick up sticks.
We also moved cats today. Cyrus went home from FunCation, but he is in the enclosure Chaos used to be in. She’s been enjoying his enclosure and coming out of her shell, so it was decided to leave her where she is happy. Vacation cats were switched out.
It was a hot one, but we made it! 🙂
-Lauren G
6/8/2018 Keisha Tiger is not doing well.
During Keisha Tiger’s recent visit to the vets they learned that she has advanced kidney disease, but more life-threatening was that they thought she’d had a stroke due to her high blood pressure. She’s been on meds for that for as long as I can remember, but over time her condition worsened. The high blood pressure makes their eyes hurt, so that’s why she hangs out in the den. Dr. Tammy had noted the damage done to her eyes during the last exam.
Keepers try several times a day, with every treat they can think of to get her to eat, but she’s not interested. We even tried a change of scenery and let her go explore Gabrielle’s cages after Gabrielle moved across the path. She’s been exploring every nook and cranny, but her gate is slow and stumbling. She chuffs when she realizes one of us is there, but I don’t think she’s seeing very well. This can’t go on much longer, so we are documenting her food and water intake very closely and keeping the vets advised.
It both breaks our hearts and seems poignant that it seems she and her father/half-brother, Zeus would choose to depart this earthly plain at nearly the same time. BigCatRescue.org/keisha/
THANK YOU, Everyone!
On Carole’s recent birthday we asked all of you to give her the one thing she wants most which is LOTS of Calls of the Wild. THANK YOU to the 62 people who made the Call of the Wild on Carole’s Birthday and to EVERYONE else who made the Call of the Wild during the rest of this week, too!!
Here is the Phone2Action Report for June 1st through June 8th.
Laws will not change and the abuse will continue until enough people make those weekly calls a priority!
YOU EACH have the power of change in your hands, it is called a telephone! It is SO EASY to make that call at BigCatAct.com because you do not even have to look up a phone number, the website does it for you. PLEASE, make the Call of the Wild EVERY WEEK at BigCatAct.com
L@@K What YOU Did !!!!
FACEBOOK – The cats have received another check from Facebook. It is for $11,998.35 WOW!! AMAZING!! THANK YOU!!!!!!!
These funds are donations made between May 1, 2018, and May 15, 2018, through the Facebook Fundraisers done by all of you and the donations made on the Facebook LIVE videos done by Brittany and Carole.
People often ask us how they can help the cats when they don’t have money to donate. There are many ways to help and one of those ways it by doing a Facebook fundraiser. It is really pretty easy.
How can I do a Facebook fundraiser for the cats? Go to BigCatRescue.org/facebook-fundraiser/ to see screenshots and instructions.
It takes over 4 million dollars a year to run this sanctuary, care for the cats, and do the educational work to end the abuse that lands so many cats in the need for sanctuary.
YOUTUBE – The cats have also received $7,111.63 from YouTube. This money was raised because of ALL of YOU who watch and share our videos at BigCatTV.com and DailyBigCat.com.
Some of you have made it a point to go play one video each day and to use YouTube’s share feature to faithfully share one video a day per day on your own Social media pages.
Not only have YOU raised funds for the cats by sharing our videos but you have helped us reach more people with our message. THANK YOU!!!
How can I help raise funds for the cats on YouTube? This too is pretty easy. Watch one of our videos every day and then use the link under the video to share the video to your social media pages like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.
Learn how to share a video from YouTube: http://bigcatrescue.org/share-youtube-video/
Letter To Management
June 7, 2018
Dear Sir/Madam:
The residents of the gated community known as Big Cat Rescue had a meeting regarding the upcoming Walkabout to be held on Saturday, November 3.
1 – Nikita Lioness requests an admission price be levied on anyone who wishes to visit her, specifically an offering of chicken. This would mean someone would have to be there to collect this offering; she has delegated this task to her Lady-in-Waiting, Robin. This would also involve having a refrigerator/freezer placed near her enclosure temporarily so that the chicken would not spoil in the heat.
2 – In case of emergency, Gilligan the Canada Lynx has offered to serve as an emergency warning siren since his call can be heard throughout the complex.
3 – Beacher has offered to narrate tours of the complex (we all know how he likes to talk).
4 – Manny Jaguar suggests oxygen tanks and fainting couches be placed near his enclosure to revive all the ladies he anticipates will pass out when they see how adorable he is. (Such a humble fellow.)
5 – Priya Tiger requests that an extra pool is added to her enclosure for the sole purpose of splashing water on unsuspecting visitors – just to help them cool off in the heat, of course, not because she enjoys it.
6 – Amanda Tiger also had some suggestions. However, the censors would not allow us to share them. Including them here would mean a lot of black lines on the page…
Another meeting is planned in the near future, and you can be sure we will share any further suggestions as the time for the Walkabout gets closer.
Sincerely,
Mr. B. Cakes, Office Manager
(Sent via Lori D., Secretary to the Cats)
Zeus Tiger has passed away.
It is with a heavy heart and through tears, we announce after a long decline, Zeus Tiger let us know he was ready to re-join his momma, Kimba, and all those other great tigers who have passed on before him.
PLEASE, leave a tribute for him at http://bigcatrescue.org/zeus-tiger/ Your tributes there mean a lot to everyone who loves this big precious old tiger.
Phone2Action - Call of the Wild
Here is this past weeks Call of the Wild – Phone2Action update. Is YOUR state on this list? Is your state and your Representative listed here?
We KNOW YOU Love Big Cats but we don’t understand why YOU are not taking this one simple action to save them. It’s free! It’s easy! It’s quick! But it can do so much to help big cats.
It may seem scary or overwhelming but I PROMISE when you make that free Call of the Wild you will wonder why you had not done it sooner. PLEASE just try. You CAN DO IT!! Go to BigCatAct.com and just try.
If you want someone to hang out online with you while you do it email me at lawanna.mitchell@bigcatrescue.org or private message me.
QUESTION for Facebook Viewers
Carole made a new video to be our cover photo on Facebook. What do you think of it? http://facebook.com/bigcatrescue
